1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicles and more particularly to flying vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
With the current concerns over the polluting of the atmosphere, climatic change, and damage to the ozone layer, a critical look at and solution to the problems is necessary. Today jet planes fly higher than stratocumulus and altostratus clouds and spew polluting material at altitudes that are too high to be easily returned to Earth by rainfall, creating a permanent concealment of dirt that traps too much heat beneath its veil. Also, the intense heat from the rockets and other vehicles of various countries' space programs punch their way into outer space and continually burn off the ozone layer in their flight, inflicting damage that will last for many generations. Furthermore, millions of gallons of petroleum products are burned up daily with the prospect of depleting the world supply within this century becoming a real possibility with little thought being given to alternative fuels and alternative methods for air travel. There is an unmet need for a method to slip through the atmosphere and into outer space rather than blasting through it. There is also a need for a method to travel around the world without leaving a trail of pollution in the wake. Furthermore, considering the threat of terrorism around the globe, a method of surveillance that is small, remote-controlled, quiet, and does not crawl on the ground would be useful as well. There is also a need for a device that can effectively maneuver through an ongoing disaster area to perform human rescue attempts; as well as a need for a device that can remain aloft for extended periods of time in order to effectively vacuum the upper atmosphere and replenish the ozone layer while improving a polluted Earth to a better condition.
The ability to lift off vertically from the ground, hover above the ground, and move in translational flight with the ground currently exists with helicopters, Harrier jet planes, and hovercraft. Included among a long list of such craft are the VZ-9-Av Avrocar, U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,482, Moller's M200x flying saucer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,507 which used multiple engines, and the Aerobots described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,111 which used a single fan and up to eight ducted fans powered by rotary engines. The Bombadier CL-327 Guardian VTOL, UAV featured dual, coaxial, contra-rotating rotors, the concept of which is now being sold in a children's toy. The electric motor of the AROD was ground supplied with generation and thereby tethered limiting the flight radius. Notably, a VTOL hover platform by Sanders, U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,732 uses battery power or fuel cell technology to power the engines of a surveillance device, but it contains no technology that is new nor different from that of a helicopter.